Letting go
by Athena The Great
Summary: In which Sasuke learns to let go. Warning:Character death!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello people!**

**Yeah another one shot. I think I totally give up on Secrets actually. Oh well, I'll let you all decide that for me. It took me like two days for this one. At first I didn't know what should really happen in the beginning. Then its like I'm crying throughout the whole damn plot. But I do believe that I am happy about this one.**

**This one was inspired by another song by Avril Lavigne called Slipped Away.**

**WARNING! Character death. Sasuke is not completely OOC...**

** Disclaimer: I don't own any of it well except the plot and of course something obvious in the end.**

* * *

"I'll miss you, Sasuke." Sakura said to the said boy. "Sakura, quit being annoying. I will be back in a few months." Answered the twenty-two year old Sasuke as he set a suitcase into the trunk of his black Mercedes. "Do you promise?"

Sasuke turned and met sad jade orbs. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He silently kissed her forehead. "I promise, Sakura."

All Sakura could do was smile sadly.

"I'll call you when I get to my parents' place." Sasuke slid into the car and drove off into the traffic. Sakura stood there untill she couldn't see the car. Silent tears fell from her face.

'I can't tell him.'

A week later, Sakura sat in her office at the hospital. She has yet to receive a text, call or email from her husband. She was getting worried. She called his cell but no answer. She sighed heavily and leaned back in her chair.

"Sasuke, please call me." She said to the answering machine. Then, there was a knock on the door. "Come in." She softly called out. Sakura sat up and set her phone down when she saw her brother-in-law walk in. "Good afternoon, Itachi."

"Good afternoon, Sakura." Itachi greeted in his normal velvety smooth voice as he sat in a chair across from Sakura. "What can I do for you? The morning after pill?" She got out a pad to start writing a prescription only to have a larger hand cover hers. "Hardly, Sakura." Then there was a long pause before he continued.

"You haven't told him yet." It wasn't a question but a statement. Sakura looked up at him in a short lived surprise. "I figured that he would've called by now or I would've told him by now." She said softly. "I guess he's too busy for me now." Tear slid onto the desk.

To say Itachi was shocked was an understatement. He knew Sasuke loved this woman in front of him to death. Itachi also knew that the clan demanded a lot out of Sasuke, but he always seemed to find time for his wife. "I'm sure you're right about him being busy, Sakura," Itachi started. "But he will find the right time for him to come home to you." He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Thanks, Itachi. You're probably right." She replied to him.

Later that night she got a text from Sasuke. It said:

_I love you. I will be home as soon as I can._

~SU~

* * *

Almost two years went by before Sasuke entered his house. He could finally relax with his wife. He set his suitcase near the stairs and went into the kitchen, where he could hear the sink running. "Sakura, I'm finally home..." Sasuke cut off quickly. It wasn't his favorite pinkette.

It was Itachi, his brother.

Itachi looked up from the sink. "Sasuke..." He, too, was cut off from a soft giggle from the dining room table. There sat a barely one year-old girl sitting at the said table. Confusion appeared on Sasuke's face. Itachi turned off the water with a soft sigh.

"Sit down, Sasuke. I'll explain everything."

Sasuke did what he was told and sat right next to the little girl. Itachi sat down a mug of hot tea in front of Sasuke and sat across from his brother. "Where's Sakura?"

A pained look flashed across Itachi's face. Sasuke did not like it one bit.

"When you left about two years ago, Sakura had news, good news for that matter, but she wanted to tell you as a surprise when you got back." Sasuke still lokked confused. The elder brother just sighed.

"She was pregnant."

Shock spread through Sasuke's body as he turned to the little girl next to him, who was playing with a bowl of Cherrios. Then he saw it. Her big green eyes. "Her name is Eika." Itachi pointed out.

"Eternal Flower..." Sasuke mumbled softly as her gently touched her pink and black hair. Eika looked up and smiled goofily at her father. "Where is Sakura now?" Sasuke looked at his elder brother once again. He saw the same pained look earlier.

"The doctors told her in the beginning that there will be complications. Sakura paid them no mind though." He noticed that Sasuke's mood was getting darker. "The day she went into labor, Sakura did not look good at all. We got her to the hospital and checked in. They wheeled her off with her friend, Ino, in tow."

Itachi's normally smooth voice, cracked. "Hours later, the doctor came in. He announced that Sakura died giving birth."

At that moment, Sasuke's world froze. Sakura? Dead?

Tears fell onto the table. They were Sasuke's tears. He never experienced such pain before in his life. He looked up at his daughter. He could see the resemblance as plain as day now. "I should've stayed." He said brokenly.

"She wanted me to give you something."

Itachi walked over the refrigerator and grabbed something from on top. It was an envelope with Sakura's handwriting on the front. "She said if something happened to her before you came back, she wanted me to give you this when I saw you again." He sat it in front of his broken brother. Itachi looked at him. He looked like he was going to shatter to pieces.

He silently put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder gently. Sasuke, in turn, hugged his older brother and silently cried. Itachi was shocked but held his brother tightly, nonetheless. "I know this is a lot to take in, but I'll be here for you, Sasuke. That's what big brothers are for." He said softly to his crying brother.

"Thank you, Itachi. For taking care of Sakura and Eika."

"Dadda!" A small smile appeared on Sasuke's darkened face.

* * *

Months later, Sasuke and his daughter were at a park. Sasuke watched Eika play with other kids. He couldn't help but smile softly.

"Teme's gotten soft." A rough voice called out. Sasuke turned his head to only see Naruto. "Hey, dobe." Naruto sat next to his life long best friend. "Hey, man. I heard about Sakura..." He saw Sasuke shake his head.

"Don't say you're sorry. I have other things to worry about now." Sasuke got up when he heard Eika crying. "Good." Naruto mumbled and walked away smiling.

A good seventeen years pass, Sasuke had successfully raised Eika. "Dad, I need you to drive me to school." Sasuke opened his eyes slightly and mumbled as he sat up form his bed. "Isn't this why I bought you a car?"

"Dad, quit being lazy. Besides you "grounded me" remember?"

Sasuke gave her a look of boredom. "Why can't you be a normal teen and ask for your car back? You are so much like your mother. I'll be down in five." He got out of bed as she went downstairs and into the kitchen to grab something to eat.

He got dressed quickly and went downstairs into the kitchen as well. "Dad?" Eika spoke up. "Hm?" He hummed out as he stole a piece of toast from his daughter's plate. She acted like she didn't notice and asked the dreaded question.

"What was mom like?"

Sasuke froze for a second but resumed eating the toast before he answered. "After school, you and I are going somewhere special. I will answer all your questions then." Eika nodded understandingly.

"Now lets go before you're late."

* * *

Sasuke waited for Eika outside of the school. 'Today's the day, Sakura.' When he saw Eika walk out, he started the car. She opened the back door to set her stuff in the backseat before sliding into the passenger seat.

"So where are we going?" She asked while putting her seatbelt on. "You'll see." Was all he said.

About ten minutes on the road, they came up to a cafe. "Come on." Sasuke got out of the car an walked into the cafe. Eika scrambled after her speedy father. When she walked in, she smelled freshly brewed coffee. Then she found her father sitting in a both, so she sat in the booth across from him. "What's so special about this place, dad?"

Sasuke sat there for a few minutes; thinking of ways to answer her question. "When I was about your age, I met your mother here." Eika blinked at his unexpected words.

"Was it love at first sight?"

"No." Eika made a noise of disappointment, in which her father chuckled at. "But we did fall in love, or you wouldn't be here now would you?" Sasuke smirked at his own question.

"No I guess not." Sasuke chuckled again at Eika. "Here is a picture of your mother." He looked down at the picture in his hands before giving it to his anxious daughter.

"Her name was Sakura Haruno, which is why you don't have my last name. Lets say she had a kind heart but always said what was on her mind. Much like you today." Eika took in her mother's looks in awe. "She was beautiful." All Sasuke could do was nod in agreement.

Eika looked up to only see that her father looked emotionally distraught. She reached out and grabbed his hand. "It's okay, dad. I'm sure she's watching us right now and loving every minute." She smiled softly. Sasuke saw Sakura through his daughter so much each day. Their moment was over when their food arrived.

* * *

After they ate, Sasuke drove them out of the city. "Now where are we going?" The car was silent for most of the way until Sasuke pulled up to a cemetery. "You're mother's grave."

They both got out and started to walk through the paths of the cemetery. Sasuke felt a lump grow in his throat.

After for what it seemed like an eternity, they finally found the grave. Eika bent down and touched it. "Hey, mom. Nice to finally meet you. Dad is doing great of taking care of me, but you probably already knew that." She turned to look at her father. She was shocked of what she way, but all she did was hug him tightly, in which he hugged her back just as tightly. This was the first time she saw her father cry.

"I love you, daddy."

"I love you, my angel."

* * *

**There you go once again. I know it seemed rushed but I kind of liked the father/daughter relationship really.**

**I have been trying to find the next right song for another one shot. If you have a song that will fit a Sasusaku oneshot, send me a review or a PM.**

**With all that said in done, R&R!**


	2. Author's Note

**Hello my fellow readers,**

**One of my reviewers called my attention to the part where Sasuke was gone for a year or so...(I really don't remember) And they wanted to know why he was gone.**

**So here's the deal, If I get enough reviews saying that they want to know Sasuke's reason why he was gone for long, I will write it. **

**It's all up to you, Readers.**

**~Athena~**


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